Praying before the Blessed Sacrament

In his encyclical *Ecclesia de Eucharistia*, Saint Pope John Paul II says: ‘Of all devotions, that devoted to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is the most important.’ We must therefore be silent worshippers who draw mercy from adoration. The Curé d’Ars also said: ‘If we were told: “At such-and-such an hour, a dead person is to be raised from the dead”, we would rush straight there to see it. But the consecration… is that not a far greater miracle than raising a dead person from the dead?’ So it is so useful, so beneficial to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. It is an exposition that heals us; that enlightens us and helps us. It is like undergoing X-rays or chemotherapy that cures cancer. Father Daniel Ange recounts that a priest was struggling. He hadn’t gone to confession for 12 years. Nevertheless, he attended a night of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Afterwards, he was in tears. He went to confession and said: ‘I have worshipped all the idols of the day, and tonight, Jesus has found me. He has saved me.’ He then celebrated Mass, which he had not done for eight years. He returned to the Church and has never left the priesthood since.

Marc was in great distress; he was searching for his vocation and did not know what the Lord expected of him. He was seeking God’s will. Yet he had been praying for some time without receiving an answer. He went to adoration before the tabernacle and realised what God expected of him: to become a priest, and he felt this with great certainty. As for Sister Gaëlle, she says: “I knew what the Eucharist was. But it didn’t fulfil my life: during a retreat, whilst at Mass, I went forward to receive Communion as usual. Only this time, despite myself, I knelt before the priest. I received Jesus and was overcome with tears. I realised that Jesus is alive. That he is present in my heart. I no longer had any doubts. I felt great joy and happiness. My life was no longer as it had been before. And above all, I felt a deep desire to receive Holy Communion and to adore the Blessed Sacrament, a desire that has never left me.”

I, too, have come to discover the beauty and necessity of spending time before the Blessed Sacrament. For many years now, I have set aside an hour each week for adoration. Sometimes, when I walk past a church, I know that Jesus is there and I speak to him for a little while, even if I’m outside the chapel or in a car. Several years ago, a young Christian woman came to see me. She’d done very badly in her exam and thought she’d have to repeat the year. She still had a chance, however, in the resit. I went to church; I offered her up to Jesus in the Eucharist and I was sure my prayer would be answered. When the final results were announced, she had passed, and I knew it was also thanks to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Saint Faustina said: ‘I will spend all my free moments at the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I can do nothing without consulting Him first.’ Blessed Mother Teresa also said: ‘The time my sisters spend before the Blessed Sacrament enables them to work for hours on end in the service of the poor.’ In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus is truly present, even though many are unaware of this and neglect Him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Are you ill? Are you short of money? Do you wish for your own conversion or that of someone else? Go before the Blessed Sacrament and present your requests to Jesus: ‘No, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save’ (Isaiah 59:1). Let us have faith that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, for without faith no one can please God (Hebrews 11:6). This is a faith that assures us that Jesus is in the Blessed Sacrament and is waiting for us to come to Him. A faith that assures us that Jesus is listening to us. But also a faith that trusts in Jesus, so that we may come before the Blessed Sacrament, even simply to be with Him, to spend time with Him and to love Him.

Many people, including young people—thankfully—have already understood the need to spend time, to adore and to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. They go there and set aside time for it. A Christian life without adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a Christian life that is lacking. We must all set aside time to pray regularly before the Blessed Sacrament. In our Word of God groups, we must ensure that members have the time to pray regularly before the Blessed Sacrament. Active members should deepen their life of adoration. A group, a community of worshippers, will be a strong community. May every member deepen their prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. We will surely reap great benefits from this – for ourselves, for the whole Church and for the world – especially in this Year of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

Henri Bayemi